College notebook: Hondru having big senior year for Miami (Ohio)
Miami (Ohio) redshirt senior Corban Hondru has been one of the most productive linebackers in college football this season and the former Peters Township standout had a career game last week against Ohio.
The Observer-Reporter’s Football Player of the Year in 2020, Hondru made a career-high 17 tackles, including a strip-sack and fumble recovery that set up a Miami field goal. Hondru made eight tackles in the first quarter and had 13 before halftime, then added the sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery in the third quarter.
Through nine games, Hondru has a team-leading 78 tackles that includes five for losses and two sacks. He also has three interceptions, two pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries. He entered this week sixth in the MAC in tackles.
Miami will play tonight against Toledo.
In golf
Caroline McConnell of South Fayette, a senior at Bradley University, was named the Missouri Valley Conference Golf of the Week for the fourth time this season when she finished second at the Coyote Creek Classic, Bradley’s home tournament, in Bartonville, Ill.
McConnell shot 1-over par 217.
After each of Bradley’s first four tournaments this fall, McConnell was named the MVC’s Golfer of the Week. She has five conference weekly awards in her career.
In football
Following an all-around performance against Seton Hill on Nov. 1, Edinboro’s Nate Deans was named the PSAC West Defensive Player of the Week.
A former standout running back at South Fayette and now a sophomore safety for the Fighting Scots, Deanes was all over the field against Seton Hill, making nine solo tackles, including two for losses, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble that he returned 70 yards for a touchdown.
Deanes is Edinboro’s second-leading tackles with 50 stops.
* Geno Calgaro, a sophomore at St. Francis (Pa.), has been one of the top linebackers in the country at the FCS level.
A Canon-McMillan graduate, Calgaro is the leading tackler in the Northeast Conference with 83 stops in nine games. He has 7½ tackles for loss, a half-sack and a pass breakup. His 15 tackles against Buffalo is tied for the most in a game in the NEC this year. After St. Francis’ game against Robert Morris, Calgaro was named a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for the fourth time this season. In that game, he led the Red Flash with 13 tackles.
In soccer
Saint Francis goalkeeper Emma Sawich was named All-NEC second team for the 2025 season.
Sawich started 18 games and set career highs as well as national bests. She also received two Northeast Conference prime performer accolades this fall.
A team captain, Sawich made 136 saves throughout the fall season with a career high of 16 during a match against Bucknell. At one point, Sawich was leading the nation in saves. She ended the regular season ranked second in NCAA Division I in total saves.
Sawich was named the Northeast Conference Prime Performer for her performance in the Red Flash’s match against Central Connecticut State on Oct. 5, when she recorded 13 saves.
* Eben McIntyre, a junior forward, played his first season at Memphis this fall after transferring from Pitt.
A Charleroi graduate, McIntyre appeared in all 15 matches for Memphis, making 14 starts and logging more than 1,100 minutes of playing time.
McIntyre scored three goals, including two game-winners, and five assists. He finished second on the team in assists and points (11). He had a pair of games, against Mercer and Tulsa, when he tallied a goal and an assist and was named the American Conference Offensive player of the Week on Sept. 29, following the Tulsa game.
* Penn State Altoona senior midfielder Rachel Rutkowski was named to the All-Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference third team.
A Canon-McMillan graduate, Rutkowski finished her four-year career with the Lions by making 17 starts this fall. She played multiple roles for Penn State Altoona, including center back, defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder. She finished the season with one goal, two assists, 17 shots attempted and eight shots on goal.
It was Rutkowski’s third All-AMCC selection.
In wrestling
Waynesburg junior 174-pounder Jessie Orbin got off to another fast start Saturday at the W&J Invitational and was named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Wrestler of the Week.
A Chartiers-Houston graduate, Orbin started the week with a 9-4 decision over Penn State Altoona’s Andrew Weaver during the Yellow Jackets’ 45-0 win over the Lions on Friday. He followed that on Saturday with a second-place finish at W&J.
Orbin, the No. 2 seed at the weight class, began the day with a forfeit before pinning Lycoming’s Devon Greene in 2:16 to reach the semifinals. The Yellow Jackets standout outlasted Gettysburg’s third-seeded Ethan Composto 4-1 to reach the title match, which he dropped to Lycoming’s returning national qualifier Nolen Zeigler.